Rolling In The Deep
by cecilyedandme
Summary: It doesn't take Rachel's teachers long to realize there's not much more left to teach her. When Cassandra July walks into the dean's office she suggests her a new challenge. Entrance Jesse.
1. Prologue

**Rolling In The Deep**

* * *

_Prologue_

"I don't know what to do with her anymore, Carmen." Cassandra July placed her hands on the back of her chair and sighed. "I mean, don't get me wrong. She's still as annoying as ever but ever since she won the Winter Show Case there's literally nothing anymore that she isn't capable off. It's almost scaring how much she works her ass off. I've never seen classmates who were that intimitated by someone. Nothing wants to work with her because they are all afraid of not being able to keep up with her."

The Dean furrowed her brows. The dance teacher wasn't one to exaggerate and she knew that Rachel was an exemplary student but she didn't know what Cassandra expected. Carmen gave her an almost sneering look. She caught the hint of taunt in the Dean's eyes and rolled her eyes.

"She did a duet with herself. Literally."

Carmen quirked a brow. Cassandra sighed at her disbelief and grabbed a CD out of her bag.

"Jason gave it to me. He didn't want to believe either that nobody wanted to work with her. It should have been a simple duet. But when nobody volontureed to do it with her she told him that it wasn't a problem."

The Dean took the CD and looked at it sceptically.

"If the school year continues like that you can already give her her degree in a few months. I really don't know what I can do with her anymore. I talked with the rest of the faculty and it seems like my class is the only one left that still challenges her. But it won't take long until there's nothing left that I can teach her."

"What do you expect from me?" Carmen asked with an almost stern sound in her voice.

Cassandra shrugged. "Find her another challenge, I don't know." She raised her hands in cluelessness. "There's just one thing that I can tell you, Carmen. If she was already that close to beat me in our dance off she is going to audition for the next Broadway show that offers the possibility and then she will leave the school in a heartbeat."

Carmel cleared her throat. "Do you really think it will be this easy for her?"

"With her?" The Blonde laughed dryly. "Without a doubt."

Carmen looked at the CD in her hand and sighed. She gave the dance teacher a nod at which she disappeared through the door. The Dean opened a folder on her computer and searched for Rachel's name. A moment later she dialed the number of her secretary just the room beside.

"Yes, Ms. Tibideaux?"

"Dianna, could you please make an appointment with every teacher of the list I'm sending you?"

She heard the woman nod. "Of course. For when?"

The Dean sighed. "As soon as possible. I'd like to get this over with at the end of the day."

The woman finished the call and tapped her fingers on the desk. She grabbed the CD Cassandra had given her just a few minutes ago and put it into the disk stoange. There was a window opening on her screen that she enlargened.

Rachel's face appeared on the screen a moment later. Carmen watched the freezed imagine and immidiately noticed the determination in Rachel's eyes. Rachel had grown since her audition for NYADA and not only her looks displayed the progress she had already made in this few months. The Dean didn't know what to expect when she started the video to the sound of Natalie Imbruglia's _Torn._

She watched the two different versions of Rachel that were obviously dealing with some kind of conflict. Carmen laughed as the girls were watching each other through a mirror looking completely different. The one wearing bangs and her hair in waves, completely dressed in black and short and little revealing clothes and the other looking like the girl that had auditioned for the college just in spring. A Rachel wearing a head band, conservative clothes like a shirt for a nice girl and a plaided skirt that almost reached her knees, knee highs and ballerina shoes.

The performance was good. Great even. It was never easy to do a duet with oneself because it was simply not made to but Carmen admitted that Rachel had done great work. Somehow Rachel had successfully managed to give her characters different voices. While there was a sound of confidence and hope in Rachel's younger version there was a trail of widsom and reality marking her older self.

The Dean closed the window and sighed.

She defintely needed to do something about it.

* * *

**A/N: I swear I haven't forgotten about **Alternate Glee** and **_Journey_ **is going to be uploaded soon.  
**In My Veins **and **Rolling In The Deep **are definitely not going to get as long as AG for which I have tons of ideas**.  
**I just wanted to try something new and Rachel and Jesse are haunting me at night ;)**

**Hope you enjoy. R&amp;R**

**April 19, 2015.**


	2. Chapter One

_Happy Mother's Day :)  
_

* * *

**Rolling In The Deep**

* * *

_Chapter One  
_

They were all sitting around a large table with coffee and a bowl of fruit on it. They couldn't effort to eat any unhealthy food because the best of the best weren't made to stodge themselves with anything that could possibly put their career at risk. The teachers around the table were noticeable attractive and not one of them looked like he didn't belong here. Most of them had made their own experience on Broadway and attended NYADA or any similar college after High School too.

They weren't chatting with each other like any other staff would have done it at an opportunity like that. They were quietly waiting for Ms. Tibideaux to arrive, some with coffees in their hands. Cassandra started tapping on the table impatiently and some of the other teachers threw her irritated glances. As much as they had gotten to know it had been her idea to search for another way of challenging Rachel Berry at school. Some of them asked themselves why she had taken such an interest in the Freshman and why she was making an effort like this in finding an occupation for the young woman. The teachers nodded at each other, agreeing that this was just Cassandra's character and that they shouldn't interpret more into it. Cassandra had always been good at drawing any attention to her.

The door to the faculty room opened and the dean entered the room. Carmen was carrying a bunch of records and spreading them all over the table. She adjusted her glasses as she took a look around the table and sat down. The other teachers were watching her with interest.

She was approaching every teacher in the room asking for the experience they'd made with Rachel Berry and Carmen was not pleased to hear the confirmation of everything Cassandra had told her before.

Rachel was an excellent student, always ahead of anyone else in the room and nobody dared to work with her, too scared to make themselves look bad on her side.

Carmen sighed in something between annoyance and exhaustion. It wasn't only the fact that Rachel was learning too fast but she didn't understand why her other students weren't taking Rachel's success as motivation. They could learn from her but decided to get out of her way only giving her more stage to shine. Carmen shook her head.

"I was calling similar institutions all morning asking if they had a student they made similar experiences with and if they would mind borrowing us. These are the students." The dean pointed to the records and every teacher grabbed one. They were thumbing through the pages with frowns on their faces.

"I know. They aren't really promising." Carmen reached for her bag and pulled another record out of it. She slid it towards Cassandra. "I think you know him."

Ms. July quirked a brow and opened the record. She gave at little smile at the familiar face before furrowing her brows for a second. Then she nodded. "That could work."

Carmen raised a brow at the dance teacher. "Well, I hope so. He's coming next week."

Cassandra looked surprised at the fast decision. She knew she had put pressure on the dean but she had never expected her to work on it this fast.

The meeting ended after some more preparations according the transfer and Cassie left the faculty room with her phone in her hand. If her nephew was coming she at least had to give him some more information.

* * *

Luke Morgan was informing his aunt that the airplane just had landed and that it was only a matter of time before he could grab his suitcase and drive to the college. Cassandra had offered him to stay at her loft in SoHo before he found himself a place to live but Luke was satisfied with the prospect of living on the campus.

He was walking back over to the waiting area after finishing his call. He looked over the sleeping beauty on the bench and shook his head amused. "You know you shouldn't have needed to join me on the flight."

The boy opened one eye. He peeked through it and grinned. "I know. But work has gotten pretty boring over the last few week. It's nice to take some time out of my busy schedule. And I just can't resist New York."

"Broadway?"

"Broadway," he confirmed and they laughed. Brown locks were framing his face and his blue eyes were dancing with amusement. "I hope you greeted Cassie from me."

Luke nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't have even bothered not to. Sometimes I actually wonder whose aunt she really is. She adores you way too much, Jesse."

Jesse winked at him. He knew he was overacting but Luke's reaction was always worth it. "I hate you."

Jesse shrugged as he leaned back and closed his eyes again.

They waited half an hour before they were able to grab their luggage and headed outside. Jesse took a deep breath, taking in the smell of New York's full streets. Luke rolled his eyes.

Jesse was impatiently waiting for Luke to get a cab and sighed. He was pushing the blond aside telling him to let him try. He was raising his hand in the air determined and Luke was just about to tell him that he was well capable of doing it alone when a yellow car stopped in front of them. Jesse raised a brow at him and Luke remained silent. When they got into the cab he threw a dirty look at Jesse repeating that he hated him.

Cassandra had decided to welcome the boys herself. She was waiting for them in front of the main entrance and once they arrived and got out of the cab with their luggage she went for hugging them.

"You are like a fine wine, Cassie. The older you get the better you look," Jesse said with a grin.

Cassandra gave him a little punch on the shoulder. "Always the charmer. Haven't you found the right girl to annoy yet?"

The boy chuckled. "Oh, I've found a lot of girls that are worshipping the ground I'm walking on. But I need one that can keep up with me. And they are quite hard to find."

"Especially with an ego like yours," Luke added helpfully. Jesse glared at him.

"That's true," Cassandra replied with a laugh. "But maybe you will find one here. How long did you plan to stay?"

Jesse shrugged. "A week, maybe two."

They were walking over the campus entering an old building that smelled lightly of food. Cassandra pointed to the cafeteria and leaded them through the hallways. She was rounding a corner and some of the students made space for her with terrified looks on their faces. Jesse furrowed his brows. She had organized them the one of the best places to live on the campus and stopped in front of a door, throwing a key to her nephew. "I thought you two should share a room as long as you stay Jesse."

The dorm room wasn't extraordinary. A partition was separating the big room providing both of them some privacy. Jesse was heading to the bed on the left side and threw his bag on the floor. Luke gave Cassie a thankful nod.

"Don't forget to get to the dean's office at one." Luke nodded and Cassandra left the boys alone.

"What do you think?" He asked Jesse. The boy was already lying on his bed staring at the ceiling above.

"I think it's all a little fancier here. The marble floor was beyond polished and I was scared to slip while watching my reflection on it. But I like it. It's a whole lot of different from Los Angeles. But then again, this isn't UCLA. NYADA is playing on a completely different level." Jesse sighed.

"You love it here," Luke stated.

"I actually envy you for that opportunity. But Ms. Tibideaux told me I wasn't ready after auditioning. And I accept that."

Luke nodded.

The boys were furnishing themselves in the room and later deciding to explore the rest of the campus. They were eating in the cafeteria and Jesse noticed the interested looks the other students were throwing them. The time was soon passing by and Luke made his way to the dean's office. Jesse stayed behind and continued his exploration tour.

The college wasn't as big as UCLA but there were only a few selected students that Ms. Tibidaux herself accepted as the best. Jesse already expected them to act snobby but they seemed like any other student he had met back in LA. He realized they were here to become better without resting on their success of getting a spot at the college and a small smile escaped his lips.

The notes of a familiar song was catching his attention and he followed their sound around another corner. A girl was sitting on a piano and always repeating the same sequence of notes. She was sitting upright on the bench and her dark brown hair was tidied up in a messy ponytail.

He entered the room without any ulterior motive and decided to listen to her play for a little longer. She soon got to play more confident learning faster with every right note she hit.

Jesse couldn't help to comment it. "Maybe you should play the rest of the song, too."

The girl winced and hit the wrong key. The sound was echoing in the room and the brunette turned around, titling her head. "I intend to."

Jesse nodded walking over to the piano. He caressed the valuable instrument and watched the girl closer. Her eyes were a dark shade of chocolate and her lips looked loft. She was wearing her bangs on the right side of her face and a few strands of hair were framing it. She was raising her brows at him and he laughed. "And I thought you all were talented in every last thing you did. You need more practice."

The girl laughed dryly. "You don't need to point out the obvious."

Jesse furrowed his brows. The girl was taking a look at her watch and grabbing her things together in hurry. She made her way to the door before taking another look at Jesse. "It's not exactly easy to play that song without having any skills in playing the piano."

"Why do you even try?"

The girl shrugged. "I'm bored."

She was about to leave the room when his next words made her stop. "I have to take it back then. You need more practice but it was pretty good without having made any experience on playing."

She gave him a small smile. "_Being good isn't good enough_."

The girl disappeared through the door, leaving Jesse with a dumbstruck expression on his face behind.

* * *

**Rachel and Jesse didn't meet before in this story. I thought about it a little longer and came to the conclusion that there are enough great fanfictions about them at this time where they already know each other.  
Like **_See Lights, See Stars, See Clear_ **by **backinthebox **or some of the wonderful stories **SpyKid18 **already wrote.** **I didn't want to risk copying anything and I actually like writing St Berry without their background from season one. **  
**So please bear with me if you expected something differnt.**

*Luke Morgan (Freddie Stroma) from Once Upon A Song (Again!)

* * *

**A very huge thanks to all of you who already reviewed, followed and favorited. Hope this chapter doesn't change this :)  
**

**May 10, 2015.**


	3. Chapter Two

**Rolling In The Deep**

* * *

_Chapter Two  
_

There was a soft yet confident knock on the door before Rachel Berry opened the door to the dean's office and followed her instruction to take a seat. She was placing her bag on the side of her chair and gave the blond boy to her right a warm smile.

"Luke Morgan, this is Rachel Berry. As I have told you before she is one of your new classmates and you two share the most similar schedule possible among all. Ms. Berry will make sure that you are quickly settling in and she will be your class partner for the start." Ms. Tibideaux was raising a brow at the young adults in front of them who both responded with an understanding nod. "Good. For you Mr. Morgan, classes start tomorrow. Ms. Berry, you are dismissed for the rest of the day and can show our new student around."

A moment later Luke followed Rachel through the door after shaking the dean's hand again. Rachel was taking a look at the watch on her wrist when she leaded the way to the cafeteria in silence. She was straight walking to a table at the windows but among the shades when she abruptly turned around to the blond boy with an apologetical face.

"Hungry?" Rachel's face flushed in embarrassment and Luke laughed. He pointed to the short line at the counter and Rachel hurried over to it with a thankful smile.

When she returned to their table Rachel was placing her decent loaded tray on it and thrusting a bottle of water in Luke's hand. She pointed at her food. "You don't want anything?"

He was shaking his head. "I was just having lunch with a friend like an hour ago."

"So you've already made friends here?" Rachel nodded impressed.

"Actually not. I brought a friend along. He's going to stay over until I settle in."

Rachel nodded again, taking bites from her vegan food that she was still ordering when she had enough time even though she wasn't vegan anymore.

"And you? Where are all of your friends?"

Rachel almost choked on her food and answering Luke with a hand in front of her mouth. "You are expecting too much, Luke. There are maybe five people left who are still talking to me."

Luke furrowed his brows. "Why?"

Rachel shrugged. "I won the Winter Showcase only a few weeks ago."

"I think I might be missing something here," he muttered.

The brunette wiped her mouth with a napkin and twisted her lips uneasy. "Look: the students here are beyond ambitious and when there's a freshman winning a showcase not everybody is going to celebrate it."

"I assume it doesn't happen often?"

Rachel laughed dryly. "Rarely."

"But I don't get it. You seem so down to earth and yet the others are avoiding you?"

"It is how it is..."

Luke was carefully observing the expression on Rachel's face but her show face was perfect. He knew that Cassie had called him for a reason and that Carmen Tibideaux wasn't letting students transfer to NYADA easily. But he had never assumed that success at this school could turn into such an ugly thing. Envy.

From what he had seen Rachel Berry was a young and strong woman who had been nothing but nice to him. He didn't know how far her talent was going but he could imagine the impact of her victory when he had been called to work with her because nobody else wanted to.

Rachel was getting up from her chair in one swift move, the tray in her hands. "I guess you were already discovering the campus with your friend?"

Luke blinked. "I-"

Rachel nodded. "Don't worry. I am finally able to discover a little more of New York this way. Just let me give you my number if you need help or anything."

With a loss for words Luke was reaching for the phone in his pocket and before he had come up with a better response than "No. It's fine. Show me around" Rachel had already saved her number in his phone and disappeared through the doors of the cafeteria with a "See you tomorrow."

* * *

Jesse was lying on his new and freshly covered bed, his iPod playing the same song through his earphones on repeat. He was staring at the ceiling always winding back to certain parts of the song that were now locked in his head when the door to their new room unlocked and Luke entered the room. He was walking over to his friend and touching his arm. Jesse jumped.

"Do not EVER scare me like that again. What are you even doing back here already? I thought you had a meeting with Ms. Tibideaux..."

"That's over."

"And?" Jesse asked, sitting up.

"I'm most likely going to keep company to the most talented freshman because nobody wants to work with her."

Jesse squinted his eyes together in confusion. "Why would they do that?"

"Do what?"

"Not wanting to work with her when she's the most talented."

"Fear that they are not able to keep up? Envy because she already won the Winter Showcase at this stage of training? I don't know. You'll have to ask them yourself."

Jesse nodded. "Okay."

Luke titled his head. "Okay?"

"Okay, I'm going to ask them myself."

"You are not."

"Why not?"

"Because she is already having a hard time about it. Not that she was showing anything or so but you know..."

"It's lonely at the top," Jesse pointed out. "That's show business. It is how it is," he added with a shrug.

Luke glared at Jesse. "You are not going to ask anyone about it. And aren't you already starting your departure back to L.A.?"

"Aren't you a little pushy?"

"Leave her alone."

"I don't even know _her," _Jesse emphasized. "But now I'm really curious..."

"Please," Luke repeated.

Jesse rolled his eyes. He plugged his earphones back into his ears and laid back down on his bed.

* * *

**A little short, I know, but better than nothing :)**

**July 6, 2015.**


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